« Previous Day: David C. Lam Asian Garden |
Main
| Next Day: Bolax gummifera »
May 13, 2008: Boschniakia strobilacea
May 13, 2007:
Rosa 'Ausmas'
May 13, 2006:
Lobelia tupa
May 13, 2005:
Enkianthus campanulatus
November 27, 2005 : Erinacea anthyllis
Keywords: Fabaceae | Erinacea anthyllis Link. | 11974-0117-1975
You might have difficulty believing that prickly anthyllis or hedgehog broom is a member of the bean family until you see an image of its flowers. Erinacea anthyllis is native to stony slopes of Mediterranean France, Spain and northern Africa. When giving a tour, I always invite visitors to gently touch the viciously sharp spiny modified leaves. I can never resist the temptation to float my hand on the tips, since it's a bit of an odd tactile sensation.
Botany / photography resource link: Biodiversity of the Hengduan Mountains Region, China, a site hosted by the Harvard University Herbaria and originally assembled by Dr. Richard Ree. Rick spent a year in 2002-2003 at the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research as a post-doctoral researcher with the garden's director, Dr. Quentin Cronk.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at November 27, 2005 12:00 AM
Read recent comments on all BPotD Entries
Comments
Posted by: Nancy M Rueff at November 27, 2005 4:54 AM
Nancy, click on the link that says flowers, then click on the thumbnailed image on that page.
Posted by: Daniel Mosquin 
at November 27, 2005 5:20 AM
Erinacea anthyllis - Z8, RHS Index of Garden Plants, Griffiths
Posted by: Beverley at November 27, 2005 9:46 AM
When I do a tour I always tell people that it is very sharp. Of course there are always those that can't resist. I should use your tactic Daniel and say touch it but very gently. I remember quite vividly backing into it when I was weeding there as a student.
Posted by: judy newton at November 27, 2005 7:06 PM
A couple of comments on plant hardiness zones. They are are entirely subject to the exact location and orientation of the garden in which the plants reside. While the RHS Dictionary claims Erinacea anthyllis is Zone 8, this is not to be taken as absolute, being meant as a guideline only. The plant shown is in the E.H. Lohbrunner Alpine Garden here at UBCBG, yet ours is a Zone 7a garden, based solely on the historic low temperature of -17c (about 0 F). Clearly this plant is hardier than stated. This is dependent on three local factors: 1) the plants' orientation, being southwest-facing, 2) planted on a hillside, providing cold air drainage, and
3) residing in very well-drained soil. Were it planted in a typical perennial border (falt ground, rich moisture retentive soil) with limited sun exposure, it would be very challenged to accept even a Zone 8 climate (min. -12.2c/10F).
Posted by: Brent Hine at November 30, 2005 8:03 AM
Please share your comments about the photograph(s) and accompanying write-up. Telling a story about the subject of the photograph(s) is also much appreciated! If you have a gardening question, the best place to ask is on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. Thank you!
Post a comment
XML Feeds: Atom | RSS 2.0 | RSS 1.0 | What is RSS? | RSS Tools
Botany Photo of the Day and all associated images are licensed under a Creative Commons License except when otherwise specified in the accompanying written entry.
About Botany Photo of the Day | Submit Your Photos via Flickr | Submit Your Photos via UBCBG's Discussion Forums
Botany Photo of the Day is a project of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, located in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. UBC BGCPR is a department of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems within The University of British Columbia.
I'd love to see the flower.